Day 8: Super heroes/Superpowers AU

Well, this one got away from me... so much for a goal of 3k or less per chapter...

(Warning: light violence and a little gore)

Snap.

Yugi's vision swam and he cursed the device aloud. The one time he had landed in the hospital must have been a fake out, the nausea was actually getting worse with each transition to a new dimension. He felt more than saw the cool glass beneath his palms and the leather chair against his back. With a groan, Yugi put his head down as he tried everything not to pass out or hurl across the smoky glass table top.

"Who the fuck are you?" A voice snapped.

"Can you give me a minute and I will explain everything." Yugi protested a little weakly, his cheek remaining firmly pressed against the glass. "This always takes a lot out of me…"

"What takes a lot out of you? How did you get in here in the first place? Answer me when I'm talking to you!"

Yugi felt a hand roughly entwine in his hair, jerking his head up. Yugi let out a confused groan as the harsh white lights seared his eyes. A face was silhouetted in the light, features almost indistinguishable except for a very characteristic, derisive scowl.

"I will ask you one last time. Who the fuck are you and how did you get in here?" A hand clad in a metal exoskeleton moved into his field of vision, blotting out the face momentarily, a circle of blue light emanating menacingly from the palm.

The nausea left in an instant and was quickly replaced by annoyance.

"Yugi Muto. I don't know how I ended up here, or even where 'here' is. Please, could you take that out of my face?"

Yugi knew that this was a bold response, but something told him that it would be honoured. Seto Kaiba may be a bit of an asshole at times, but he was not a cold blooded killer. He also knew that the prideful man's curiosity would win out in the end, effectively saving him from harm.

It definitely did.

"Who are you working for? You were sent by the Commission, weren't you? I told them I didn't need any help. Those bastards." Kaiba nearly spat. "I've got everything under control."

The hand left his hair and Yugi's head lolled, nearly smacking the table. He caught himself and sat back in his chair. When he finally looked up again, he tried his best to stifle his giggle.

Now, Seto Kaiba as Yugi knew him could be a little dramatic. His clothing choices in high school, when not required to wear their school uniform, were often flashy and seemed to befit a ringleader better than a teenager. Maybe it was a side effect of being adopted by a rich family and inheriting the family business? Or maybe it was just Kaiba himself? Yugi was unsure. But he had never seen Kaiba in such an elaborate get up as he was wearing right now.

The lanky man was befitted in a silver metallic exoskeleton, its plates layered in tight adherence to one another like some sort of futuristic suit of armour. Circuits of blue and white coursed along its surface, providing a futuristic and almost otherworldly look to it, like pure light borne from rivers of plasma. The only part of Kaiba's body that was not encased was his head, allowing for intimidating blue eyes to regard him openly with distrust.

"The Commission?" Yugi asked.

"The Commission of Heroes. Those stuffed suits always think that they are in the right. I do not need help from pathetic dunces who would not know their head from their ass."

Although Kaiba was dead serious as he continued his tirade against this Commission, a group of superheroes that apparently all had sticks up their asses, Yugi struggled to hold in his laughter. He was used to Kaiba being stubborn and self-assured, but this was taking it to a whole new level. It seemed as if the man in the mech suit was getting poised to wage all out war against a group of professed heroes. What sort of strange dimension is this?

"Now what I don't understand is why they'd send me a runt like you." Kaiba's eyes narrowed. "What are your powers? Please, for the love of money, I hope they are actually good this time."

This time? "I don't have a power."

"'Don't have a power'? What sort of a joke is this…"

"It's no joke. And for the record, I was not sent by the Commission."

"Then who sent you?"

Yugi made a face. "It's not really a 'who', but rather a 'what'."

Taking a bit of a gamble, Yugi held out the Kaiba Corp. device for the man to inspect. He told an abbreviated tale of how he got here. He explained that the device seemed to have a mind of its own, activating at irregular intervals and taking him to different dimensions seemingly at random. When his explanation concluded, Yugi expected a multitude of different responses. Incredulousness, disbelief, anger at a perceived lie, they were all appropriate responses in one way or another. What he did not expect was how Kaiba actually responded.

"Now why would I waste such a valuable piece of technology on a nobody like you?"

Yugi blinked. Kaiba skipped right over the part of how a device like this could even exist, although in a way, this was expected. Given the futuristic armour Kaiba wore, Yugi supposed this sort of technology was not out of the realm of possibility here. What really stuck him was this Kaiba's abbhorence at his alternate self for such a wanton use of technology. This harsh outburst did beg the question, if Kaiba really did give Yugi this device, why? There had to be a reason. What was it?

"Do you have any idea why you would give someone a device like this?"

"Well, if I really wanted someone gone for good, this would be a good way of doing just that without getting my hands dirty."

Given this almost knee jerk response, this Kaiba seemed to lack a bit more morals than the versions he was used to encountering. It made Yugi wonder what else this Kaiba would do… and why he needed that futuristic suit.

"Alright, yeah. But assuming that my dimension's Kaiba was not trying to get rid of me in the most ridiculous way possible, why would he give this to me?"

The lanky man went silent for a moment, musing over the question with more serious intent this time. In all honestly, Yugi was expecting another snarky or self-righteous retort.

"You may be a guinea pig." He finally stated as he walked around the table to seize Yugi's wrist. "An unknowing test subject for new technology. Now why would I do that…?"

Yugi let out his breath in a huff. "Your guess is better than mine. I don't even really know you in my dimension. Beyond a few less than friendly interactions in high school and attending one of your coding contests, we have never really talked."

Kaiba let Yugi's wrist go. "So this is all you've got? Just a band on your wrist that pulls you through wormholes in spacetime at a whim?"

Yugi did not know how to respond to that. He had many other things to offer, but in a world with superheroes — and their inevitable nefarious counterparts — what did he really have to offer? Sure, he had good strategic thinking and reflexes from all of the years he spent playing and designing games, but when faced with super speed or people who could shoot lasers out of their eyes, all of these skills would pale in comparison.

"Yeah." Yugi admitted quietly. He tried to mask his disappointment but failed. In most of these worlds he had visited so far, he had been placed at an inherent disadvantage due to his lack of experience or knowledge. He was the one who needed to be pulled from the grips of danger, rescued like some sort of helpless animal. He wished for once that he could actually be the one to take control of his own direction. To make his own changes. To be the one that could finally help.

He got his wish today.

"I do need a diversion…" Kaiba muttered to himself, the words trailing off as he walked away from Yugi towards a set of frosted glass doors.

"Wait, what are you talking about?"

Kaiba turned to look over his shoulder. "One of my sidekicks went missing today. I spent the better part of my day trying to track him down. It appears he has been captured."

"Captured?"

"Yes. Now generally I'd let him do whatever asinine thing he feels compelled to do because he always seems to pull through. But he's been in a state recently and I don't trust him to get out alive. If he dies, it will be bad for business." Kaiba said frankly. "And we can't have that."

Of course that's what he'd be preoccupied with. Yugi mused. Some things never change. Although it was opportunity placed in front of him was too good to pass up. It was exactly what he needed. Although a part of him knew that what he was about to do was plain idiotic, the notion that he could actually help someone for once in one of these dimensions was too much of a pull for him to ignore. Awash in courage, Yugi spoke up, "You said something about needing a diversion?"

"Usually I would just go in myself in my suit, but the lair where his GPS signal last pinged is a notorious base for one of the most prolific villians in all of Domino. If I have a diversion, I'm sure I can get his ass out safely."

A beat of silence hung before a spark of ingenuity flared behind Kaiba's irises. He gave Yugi a once over. "You may be small, but if I lend you some tech, I think you could definitely be a diversion. Was that an offer?"

Yugi did not hesitate. It was time he started taking control. "Yes, I will be your diversion."

"Hmph." The sound, although arguably dismissive, was surprisingly followed by a curt affirmative nod. Yugi did not have time to regret his decision as he was quickly pulled into the next phase of the plan. "Follow me, I have some tech that should keep you alive. I will give you a quick run down on how to use it, but we need to leave as soon as possible. That idiot probably went looking for trouble and I'm sure he's balls deep in it. Damn him."

Yugi shook his head before sucking in a quiet breath and standing a bit taller, rising to his full height of five feet three inches. He was not going to back out now. Without further hesitation, he followed Kaiba beyond the frosted doors.

The plan was simple. So simple, in fact, that Yugi was a little wary. It seemed like Kaiba's sidekick was being kept in a compound just outside of the city limits, in what appeared to be a concrete bunker that was once used during wartime. There was two entrances into the bunker, the main entrance in the front and an emergency passage out back. The plan was for Yugi to create a diversion at the back entrance, to make it seem like he was trying to break in. The security would be pulled towards that entrance, leaving a paucity of guards at the front door. Kaiba would then blast through and start to make headway towards finding his sidekick. Should Yugi be able to dispatch the security at his entrance, he would make his way back to Kaiba's helicopter to await for their extraction. Once Kaiba saved the other hero , they would leave the property via the billionaire's helicopter and their mission would come to an end.

It seemed easy, but there were so many things that could go wrong.

Yugi fidgeted with the exoskeleton he had been leant. A white band enclosed his head like a crown, pressing into his temples with a borderline uncomfortable pressure. A delicately rose tinted visor with integrated navigation and data output features rested just beyond his eyes, serving just enough to accomplish its purpose without being overly distracting. Luminescent magenta circuitry flowed across the band's surface, cascading down the wires running along the back of his neck to the exoskeleton below.

He was not wearing a full suit of futuristic plate metal armour like Kaiba was, but rather, a half enclosed exoskeleton that coalesced into solid plates across vital parts of his body for added protection. Rods and hinges spanned limbs and joints like high tech futuristic braces. His hands and feet were clad in a similar set up as Kaiba's, with blasters integrated into the palms and propulsion into the soles. Given enough practice, he was told that he could fly in this suit similar to having a jet pack strapped to his back, all the while having his hands free for blasting enemies. It was really a technological marvel, but Yugi did not have the time to sit back and admire it. In fact, ever since he had gotten the suit on, his logical lingering trepidation rose to the forefront.

Is this really a good idea? Yugi wondered as he turned to look out the window. He knew that Kaiba would want to get the mission done at all costs. Despite the assurances of the armoured man that if he were to get in over this head that he could call on the comm and Seto would come over to bail him out, he was not dense. He very well be left alone to fend for himself by the billionaire should the mission require it. It was not the more reassuring thought Yugi could have, but it was too late to change his mind.

No matter the nerves he felt as he sat in the helicopter on the way to the bunker, Yugi felt compelled that this was something that he should be doing. Someone needed help and Kaiba seemed to need it as well, albeit begrudgingly. He straightened his shoulders and gave a little determined nod to the empty seat in front of him. He was going to help.

A few minutes later, the helicopter landed in a clearing a short distance away from the bunker. Kaiba and Yugi exited the craft, which took off again before the noise its rotors made could alert any security that may be circulating around the periphery of the compound. Kaiba took off in the direction of the buildings without a further word. The man was clearly not one for pep talks. Yugi took one last moment to adjust his gear before he jogged to catch up.

Thankfully, the suit he wore had been thoughtfully designed to include hydraulics in the lower limbs, allowing for ease of movement with little energy expended. It also was very adjustable for the height of the user, much to Yugi's relief. He was able to easily catch up to Kaiba and walk alongside him as he taller man weaved his way through the sparse forest.

"You remember the plan?"

"Yeah."

"If I don't find you in fifteen minutes, go back to the clearing and radio the helicopter. Roland will know what to do."

Yugi nodded. They continued in silence, tree branches snapping quietly underneath their soles with nearly every step. Yugi's mind wandered to the sidekick they were supposed to be saving. Kaiba had said something about being sent someone with powers from the Commission before. Yugi bit his lip in thought as he ducked to avoid a very low hanging branch. Could it be this sidekick they were about to save?

"This sidekick, was he sent by the Commission?" He finally caved and asked his question.

"Yes, he was sent here to help me when I was still a part of their moronic group. Now I can't seem to shed him and he's honestly been more trouble than he's worth." Kaiba grumbled. Although Yugi could see the man's displeasure colour every word, Yugi sensed that was not all there was to it. If this sidekick was such a liability, Kaiba would have surely cut him loose by now.

They reached the edge of the forest and peered down at the compound situated at the base of the hill. Like Kaiba's satellites had shown earlier, a large concrete dome surrounded by smaller single story concrete buildings lay in the center of the clearing. Yugi used his visor to zoom in on the door facing in their direction. There were no guard posted outside, but he was certain that there had to be a few just beyond that door.

"Alright, the timer starts now. Go fly to the back door and make a scene just how I instructed you. Do not deviate from the script. We will reconvene when I extricate the dweeb."

Yugi felt a hand push him on his back, prompting him forward. Yugi widened his stance slightly and took a deep breath. This whole suit operated on a neural link. What you think is what you accomplish, within the capabilities of the technology of course. If you want to fly, you just envision yourself flying. If you can maintain a steady mental image of what you want to do it can be yours. Or so Kaiba had said. When Yugi had tried out the suit in Kaiba's underground facility an hour ago, it was surprisingly easy to use.

It was not as easy now under pressure.

As soon as Yugi's feet left the ground, his nerves flared. His legs quivered, the propulsion jets deviated slightly, causing his ascent to wobble. He cursed, bracing his arms against his sides as he tried to maintain that image of him flying over top the concrete dome to land safely on the other side. Another wobble. Another curse. Yugi took a couple deep breaths and furrowed his brow.

I can do this! Yugi reassured himself as he grit his teeth. His mental pep talk seemed to work, as his trajectory smoothened and he continued on his course. His hair whipped from within its crown, but Yugi did not care about it. He was much too excited. He was flying! Actually flying! Never in his life did he think that he would fly like this. No plane or helicopter, just him and a suit. It was the most free he had ever felt.

Soon his target came into view and he started thinking about his descent.

"Softly, softly. There!" Yugi whispered triumphantly as his feet touched the ground. He did not have much time to stop and celebrate his first flight. He knew that Seto was going to arrive at the front door in mere moments and that this plan would have the best possible chance of working if he were to start the diversion right away.

Here I go.

Yugi raised an armoured fist to bang as loudly on the door as he could. Everything stayed still. No boots or voices were heard. No one seemed to register the unusual noise at the emergency exit. Time for plan B.

Taking a couple swift steps back, Yugi got himself into position. He planted his feet and braced for impact as best he could. Sucking in a breath, he held out both palms and envisioned two columns of light erupting from his hands. A whir filled the air for a nanosecond before the light erupted, radiating in a beam towards the door. The force from the blast kicked back a little, but he did not stumble. A loud bang rang through the air as the door was ripped from its hinges, folding inwards like a birthday card at its middle and clanging down the narrow hallway beyond.

That was definitely enough noise to thrust the base into high alert. Sirens blared, announcing the oncoming danger. Yugi took his first step through the threshold. He had been warned in general terms about what he could expect from the villians that were usually around this base. One could manipulate ice, freezing foes with one icy look. Another could create sonic booms with a solitary scream, incapacitating their foe before going in for the kill. There were at least a dozen villians that could be in this lair at any given time, but thankfully, only two seemed to come his way.

The first villain was definitely interesting. His visage resembled that of a scorpion, razor sharp blades embedded in his claw like upper extremities, gleaming like they had just been coated in an oily substance. Yugi decided that he definitely did not want to know what that substance was first hand. Before the villain had a chance to attack, Yugi walked forward and held out his palm, blasting a beam at the enemy. It ripped down the narrow corridor, enveloping the scorpion man in light. Yugi grinned. This may actually be easier than he expected! Just little stun-level blasts here and there would render the villains incapacitated and the sidekick would be saved in no time! He watched the dust settle to get a glimpse of his handiwork. But as it did, so did Yugi's smile.

The scorpion man had keeled backwards, but remained on his feet the entire time. The murderous look in his eye and his gritted teeth made Yugi's heart sink. He was definitely in for a fight.

The scorpion charged him with a loud cry, momentarily startling Yugi. He broke out of his stupor just in time to parry the bladed claw swung at his face. The sound of metal on metal rang in his ears as he watched the scorpion pitch forward with the momentum of his barbaric swing. Yugi quickly grabbed at the villains back, fingers sliding off man's exoskeleton. Or was it his actual skeleton? Now was not the time to decide if this was a costume or this person's actual body. He could hear footsteps approaching and needed to deal with this guy quick.

Yugi stopped his grapple and laid his palms square on the villain's back. With a grunt, he fired another blast. The man crumpled under the force, slamming hard into the ground. Yugi jumped slightly as the body hit the wrought metal floor with a sickening sound.

"Damn! Ah, too much…" Yugi groaned in dismay as he stared at the man crumpled at his feet. Check his pulse! Where did scorpions have pulses again? His panic at inadvertently killing someone quelled as he saw the insect man's chest rise and fall. He was breathing. Breathing is good.

"Hey asshole!" A voice rang through the hallway, accompanied by the sound of boots skidding. Reinforcements had arrived.

The footfalls sped up just as he raised his eyes. A man with hair as white as snow dashed down the hallway with a snarl. He watched the man's gaze drop to the ground and a sheet of ice spread down the hallway towards his feet. The ice flashed blood red with each cycle of the emergency light. Boots left metal to skid on the ice, the man sliding at a breakneck speed in his direction.

Yugi liked taking his time. He often took a moment to think things through before acting. In games he loved to strategize. To observe his opponent and act accordingly. However, he was not given the luxury of time here. He was two seconds away from a fist to the face, and honestly after all of the bullying he had to endure in grade school, he wanted to avoid this at all costs.

He acted. Reflexes propelled by his mind's eye and aided by the Kaiba Corp. exoskeleton, he leapt over the body at his feet. His soles kicked in, a blast of force sending him flying straight and true down the hallway towards the man. The gap closed. Yugi crossed his arms across his face. Right as they contacted, he pushed. He watched with equal parts shock and awe as the frosty foe flew backwards down the hall, skidding to rest unconscious against the back wall.

Sirens wailing and his pulse rushing in his ear were the sound Yugi could perceive. There were no more footfalls. No more cries. Just the tinny screeches from alarms scattered throughout the base. It was time to flush out more of these villains. Yugi aimed his palms at the metal floor a few meters away and blasted it a few times, the noise ringing like gunshots through his skull. Still nothing. No one was coming to investigate. After a minute or two of trying everything he could think of to get more personnel to come towards his end of the bunker, Yugi realized that his efforts were likely for naught. No one was coming. They must all be preoccupied with whatever Kaiba was doing on his end.

Kaiba… he may need my help.

It was a dangerous idea, and Yugi knew this, but he was not about to just turn around and wait in the clearing while Kaiba got attacked from all directions. The man may be difficult to work with, but he definitely deserved help. His mind made up, Yugi made his way down the hallway towards the glowing stairway sign. He opened the door and watched the dimly lit stars fade into darkness below. It looked like he could only go down from here. So down he would go.

His boots rang on the metal stairs as he descended at least three stories underground. Finally, he saw a door. The handle was unlocked and he pushed his way through. He was greeted by a hallway much better illuminated than the one at ground level. An alarm system signaled the panic state with periodic shrill beeps. Strings of fluorescent tube lights ran the upper walls gave the hallway an almost futuristic feel, as if he was staring down a walk way to a spacecraft. Yugi took his first few tentative steps forward, thanking his lucky stars that his steps did not ring out as loudly in this hallway. He peered at the frosted glass doorways as he walked by. The rooms were illuminated, but he could not sense any sounds or other evidence of occupancy.

Once again, beyond the alarms, things seemed quiet. Definitely too quiet. Where was Kaiba? Where was the sidekick? Where was this arch villian that was supposedly holding him hostage?

Yugi's thoughts were interrupted by a bellow and a crash come from down the hall. A shadowy figure darted across behind the frosted glass followed by a thud. Then like a shot, a shadow crossed back with double the speed resulting in a delayed thud. Another cry, this time from a different man, rang out.

Yugi flexed his fingers in his plate metal gloves. It was time.

Taking a running start, Yugi propelled himself much faster than a human should be able to run down the hallway, lifting off the ground momentarily to slam a shoulder into one of the frosted glass doors. It shattered upon impact, breaking into a thousand small cubes. Yugi's momentum carried him forward to fall back to earth, skidding along the ground to collide with the wall across from him. With a groan, Yugi lifted his head as quickly as he could to survey the situation. Thankfully his burst through the door was the least distracting thing happening in this room.

He lay in the corner of a large concrete space roughly the side of a soccer field. It's domed ceiling at least two stories high. A balcony made of steel lined its periphery one story up, many doors visible along the adjacent walls. This room must have once been used as a conference room, but in it's current state, it sure did not look like any conference room Yugi had ever seen. It lay in shambles, broken bits of concrete and table littered throughout. A small fire was burning through a pile of papers strewn from a filing cabinet along the west wall. Chunks had been blasted out of concrete pillars. An explosion suddenly rocked the room, and Yugi scurried towards a piece of upturned table for cover.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Kaiba hovering in mid air, firing blasts of white lightning from his hands at a man in a floating pod vaguely resembling an egg. Its upper half was comprised of a reinforced glass while the lower had a whole arsenal of barrels firing blasts of incandescent light in an almost constant stream. A haughty stare came from heterochromic eyes, one eye teal and the other yellow. Cyan hair cascaded down his back. The man was yelling his taunts into a small microphone, his almost regal voice filling the room.

"I can't believe you think you can defeat me! Leviathan is an organization with near infinite power!" The villain sneered. Even with your little sidekick, you don't have a chance!"

"Hmph. I don't need him to kick your ass." Kaiba retorted.

"I beg to differ. You needed me mere minutes ago."

A dark figure darted off the balcony overseeing the room, falling to hover an inch above the ground for a second before landing softly on his feet with the grace of a jungle cat. Golden bangs and crimson tipped hair flared around him as if tousled by some unseen wind. Eyes glowed gold beneath a furrowed bronze brow and Yugi swore he saw golden arcs of light bounce between his fingertips.

It's Atem!

"I needed your help? Do you remember why I'm even here in the first place?"

"I did not ask you to come." Atem reminded firmly.

"You walked right into a lair without backup or even telling me!"

"You are not my keeper, Kaiba."

"Well, as my sidekick... "

Atem's hair flared, a wind kicking up seemingly out of nowhere. He ignored their foe for the moment, turning to look directly at Kaiba. Yugi gazed on in fascination. Yugi watched as cracks started to form in the confident facade the man wore.

"How many times do I have to tell you, I am not your sidekick."

"Well, excuse me." Kaiba responded snidely. "That's exactly what you are. The Commission sent you to me back when I was with those clowns as my sidekick. That's what you are."

"You are misremembering." the storm that was Atem brewed. "They sent me to you as a partner to temper you. You are talented and resourceful, but often hot headed. It is a liability."

"To 'temper' me? Well, you sure are tempering me right now!"

A blast from the villain cracked between them, narrowly missing Kaiba. He looked up with a grunt, while Atem trained his glared at their common foe, shifting his weight onto the balls of his feet.

"The peanut gallery grows bored of your whining. Sidekick or not, I'm going to kill you both for thinking you could ever take me." The cyan haired man cried, letting loose another blast from the barrel beneath his floating pod.

Atem nimbly jumped back and caught himself in mid air. A pulse of energy felt more than seen rippled off Atem. A couple meters in front of him, Yugi watched as an up turned office chair twitched where it lay. As if grabbed by an invisible hand, the chair rose into the air to hurl itself at the man in the pod. The pod dipped just in time for the chair to deflect off the glass dome with little effect.

"It's going to take more than a stupid chair to stop me!"

More blasts arched from the pod, riddling the floor with holes and causing concrete to fly. Kaiba and Atem initially dodged these blows, but soon the blasts and flying concrete threatened to overwhelm them, and they ducked for cover beneath part of the up turned conference room table.

"I will pull Dartz's attention while you go and grab him from his pod." The instruction by the 'sidekick' carried to where Yugi huddled just a few steps away.

Yugi watched the two heroes continue building their plan in imperceptible whisper tones while the multifocal blasts and taunts ensued, quickly eroding their cover and their patience. He weighed his options. Intervening may only mean that he got in their way, potentially making things even more difficult. But on the other hand, the 360 degree blaster and it's raining coverage would be hard for anyone to infiltrate through unscathed. If he could pull even a little bit of the heat off the heroes, then maybe they could finally get this guy.

Yugi watched as Kaiba raised a hand above the nearly fragmented conference room table to fire a blast of white lightning at Dartz. The electronic interface beneath the villain sizzled briefly, but the pod did not fall.

"Surge protection. It will take a lot more than your static charge to take me down!" Came the retort. Another barrage of blasts hit the table. A muffled cry rung out.

Atem clutched his side, a curse slipping from his lips. Yugi's eyes widened as fear washed over him. He almost ran from his hiding place to Atem's side, but he stopped himself. This Atem did not know him, and for all he knew, he might suspect him for an enemy. Yugi knew that the Kaiba Corp. suit he wore was powerful, but he know he did not stand a chance against the experienced telekinetic Atem appeared to be.

Kaiba surveyed the wound quickly, his snort perceptible between blasts. "You were grazed, deal with it. We're enacting the plan."

Atem cursed again and stood up. He spread his arms, and fragments of concrete rose around him. Before a blast could land, he let out a growl and sent the debris flying in the direction of the pod.

The concrete hit its mark, causing the pod to careen slightly. Kaiba seized his opportunity amongst the chaos as he rocketed towards the foe. His fist raised, he let loose a devastating punch. A web of cracks appeared in the glass. Punch. Punch. Punch. The pod weaved wildly in the air, trying to shake off the nuisance before the damage was too much. A dip eventually shook off his footing.

Kaiba fell, his arm's flailing as he tried to activate his thrusters. But before he could, his descent abruptly stopped. Yugi saw Atem staring upwards, one hand clutching his side, the other outstretched towards Kaiba. The telekinetic gently set Kaiba down on the ground, before breaking his hold with a noticeable wince.

"See, you need me." Atem's words were somewhat terse with pain, but the glint of his taunt shone though.

Kaiba huffed arrogantly in response. With a burst, he tried to close in on the pod once again, zig zagging through the shots with relative ease. That is, until he got hit with one of them.

"Kaiba!" Atem shouted. He made a somewhat rash decision, running out into the center of the room, collecting items in his telekinetic grasp. He hurled chairs, broken bits of wood, concrete, and even papers. Debris rained down on the pod as Atem slid to Kaiba's side.

"Are you hurt?"

"Yes, you idiot. I'm — annngh." Kaiba grasped at his foot. Or rather, what was left of it.

Yugi could not see what was going on, but from the look on Atem's face, he knew it had to be bad. The two heroes couched behind a chunk of concrete much too small for cover. Surprisingly, the firing ceased.

"Oh would you look at that, finally the Neutron Blast's arrogance caught up to him." Dartz taunted. "You act like your suit makes you invincible, but all it really does is mask the truth. That is, you're just a weak, human man who thinks he can walk with giants."

Kaiba snarled and he tried to stand. Atem hushed him and pushed him back to sit.

"That's right. Stay where you are, both of you. Don't try anything funny, I can shoot you before you can even make your move."

Beneath the pod, three barrels honed in front and center to train on the two heroes crouched below.

"You two are so naive to even think that you could win this. Any last words?" Came the final question, the man consumed and victorious.

The barrels glowed. The pod hummed. A man screamed.

Yugi had taken off faster than he thought would have been possible, launching himself through the air to ram the glass of the pod. The dome disintegrated under the force, barely hindering Yugi's momentum. The amethyst eyed man slammed into Dartz, clutching at his robes as the force carried him beyond. Yugi and Dartz fell entangled, the nearly twenty foot drop over in a mere instant. Their bodies crashed down hard into a pile of rubble.

Stars burst in front of Yugi's eyes as he laid there for a moment. His body ached, but he did not think any thing was broken. Maybe this would change when he finally decided to get up. He sure hoped it would not. Finally after a few moments, Yugi pulled himself up to a half sit with a groan. To his right, Yugi saw Dartz out cold where he lay. As much as he'd like to go check on Dartz's condition, he had more pressing matters to deal with.

Across the floor, he had finally been spotted by the two heroes. Kaiba still sat on the floor, his scowl deepening in displeasure as he stared at Yugi. He was likely very pissed given Yugi's blatant disregard for his plan. Yugi's gaze hovered there for a moment, the irritation an oddly welcome sanctuary for what he was about to have to face.

Over this entire journey, he found that his perception of Atem had been changing. Evolving. Through his interactions with these alternate dimension counterparts, he had started gleaning more insight into what might be going on in his Atem's mind. The smiles, the kind acts, the protectiveness. Yugi was still sorting it all out and processing his own emotions, but he could not deny that it made him excited. Hopeful. And perhaps a little awkward. Despite the battle having ended, his heart continued to hammer. Would he see that smile here? No, it would be silly to hope for that! They probably did not even know each other in this dimension. It was better to set the expectations low and just see what this Atem was like. Even though all of these Atems seemed to be cut from the same cloth, they each had their quirks. Different facets of their that personality shone through given their upbringing and life circumstances. It was time to see what this Atem was like. With a small breath to calm himself, he turned to face him.

This Atem was definitely different.

The hero in front of him stood there in silence. No greeting. No warmth. No questions. No answers. His lips had been pressed into a thin line, the remainder of his face completely blank. It was not long before the facade broke. His features contorted to something caught between a grimace and frown. His eyes were different though. They almost looked… pleading?

"Kaiba, why in the hell is one of your suits on my ex?"

"Your ex?" Yugi and Kaiba said in unison.

Yugi was dumbfounded. Absolutely shocked. He struggled to get to his feet while the words sunk in.

"Kaiba, answer me this instant!" Atem's voice boomed, but the confidence was not there. In fact, his order held such a clear undercurrent of hurt that it made Yugi's heart ache. He wanted to reach out and comfort him, but from the look on Atem's face, the last person that man wanted comfort from right now was him.

"It's a very long story, but this is not the guy you've been dating." Kaiba rubbed his head.

"What are you talking about? This is Yugi Muto." Atem thrust a hand roughly in Yugi's direction.

"I can explain —" Yugi found himself offering, but was cut off abruptly.

"Explain what?" Atem swung around in his direction, gaze as sharp as daggers. "I think you did a fine job explaining why you left me two days ago."

Yugi paled. So I apparently broke up with him in this dimension just a couple days ago. What happened? His mouth opened, but no words came out.

For the briefest of moments, Yugi watched tears pool in the corners of Atem's eyes. The next moment, Atem was gone.

"Kaiba, lend me your phone."

"What?"

"Hand it over." An insistent order hissed through clenched teeth.

For the first time in his life, Yugi watched as Kaiba complied quietly and handed over the phone. Atem strode off decidedly towards the back of the room, punching in a number by memory as he walked. Yugi took the opportunity to limp over to Kaiba.

"Kaiba, your foot!" Yugi gasped

Up close, the damage was worse than he had expected. The blast had gone clean through Kaiba's foot, a hole the size of a saucer left in its wake. The edges were charred, and to his surprise, there was minimal bleeding.

"The good thing about those plasma blasters is that they do cauterize flesh wounds. That is, if there is any tissue left after the disintegration." Kaiba relayed, his pain becoming more and more poorly hidden by the passing minute.

Yugi had nearly come up with a plan to get Kaiba back to his… foot and start getting out of this lair when Atem returned. He tossed the phone roughly at Kaiba's chest, who caught it just before impact.

"Help is coming to contain these villains. I'm going for a walk."

"Atem, would you calm down for just one second?" Kaiba snapped. "Someone needs to watch these villains. I know you. Your righteous ass would not like them getting away just because your to soft to deal with a little personal problem."

Yugi winced at the harsh words, but to his surprise, the goad was effective. Atem let out a grunt and walked a few steps away, turning to face in the direction of Dartz's unconscious body.

It was not long before the cavalry arrived. In his absence, Atem had called the Commission of Heroes for back up and soon a dozen heroes in flashy outfits descended upon the place. They rustled up the half dozen or so villains they had all dispatched, loading them up into what looked like a series of power dampening specialized enclosures. Although the clean up of the aftermath was interesting, Yugi found himself not caring. His attention kept shifting towards Atem, scratched and bloodied, holding his side as he rested on what was left of a concrete pillar a few meters away.

I wonder what happened to him and his… me? Yugi wondered. He knew better than to ask those questions right now. Anyways, they were being signaled that their transport out of this place was ready.

Just as Yugi turned to leave, he noticed a distance in Atem's gaze as he stared unseeingly across the room. He hated seeing him see him this way, but there was nothing he could do right now. Maybe soon.

The briefing at the Commission of Heroes was onerous and Yugi found himself more bored than he had ever been in any of these dimensions. There was something about bureaucracy that took the fun out of something as interesting as fighting villains. He had never wished for the device to activate as much as he had in that moment. Despite his internal pleas, it did not activate, much to his dismay.

Several hours later, Yugi wound up back in the Kaiba Corp. base sitting at a conference room table across from Atem. Atem clearly did not want to be there, but somehow Kaiba had convinced — or maybe threatened? — him to sit and actually hear Yugi out before heading to the hospital have his foot examined. Hoping his tale would bring the him some ease, Yugi told his story without hesitation.

"… Kaiba needed a diversion, so offered and was given the suit to use. I went to help at the lair, and well, you know the rest." Yugi concluded. Part way through the conversation, Yugi had noticed a shift in Atem. The animosity that had been initially present had slowly dissipated, his hurt seeming to settle into a dull ache. But he could sense it was still there.

Atem continued to sit in silence, staring just over Yugi's shoulder as if deep in thought. Finally he spoke. "I am sorry for how I reacted when we first met."

"It's alright, Atem. I understand. I don't blame you at all."

Despite Yugi's best reassurances, Atem still seemed to wince at his words. He looked down at his hands, thoughts pulling him under once again.

In that moment, Yugi decided to take a risk. His curiosity could not be denied any longer. "What happened between you and your… me?"

"He broke up with me. What's more to say?" The baritone voice was like gravel, his eyes never lifting from the table.

"I really don't mean to pry, but why? Seeing as I'm sort of… him, maybe I can help you figure out if there's anything that can be done?"

Atem finally looked up to give Yugi the most confused look he had ever seen. That helpless, lost at sea gaze made him feel the exact same way. He wished more than anything that he could make it go away. Despite the intrusiveness of the question, Atem actually responded without deflection.

"I was told that I was too preoccupied with my work." Atem responded quietly. "He said that I cherished being a hero above anything else. Above him. But he knows that is not true."

"What did you say?"

"I reassured him that he was the most important thing in my life, but he would not hear any of it. Next thing I know, he was leaving my place."

Yugi shook his head. Yeah, he could admit that after a while, feeling like he was playing second fiddle to a career would have grated on his nerves. It would have been hard to live with. Yugi bit his lip in thought. If I was that Yugi, what would I want him to do?

"I think what you need to do is apologize."

"I tried that —"

"Not just with your words, but also with your actions. Show him how this all has changed you. Prove to him that he is your priority."

Atem sighed. "How?"

A smile tugged at the corners of Yugi's mouth. "Invite him over for a talk. Order a pizza. Play some video games. Actually talk. Show him just how much you care. I have a feeling all he wants is to know that… and that he misses you just as much too."

For the first time in this dimension, Yugi saw a smile tug at Atem's lips.

Then he saw something else.

"No! Not now!" Yugi tapped at the band at his wrist. "There's still more I need to say!"

"Is it activating?" Atem murmured in mystification. "Are you being pulled away?"

"Yes." Yugi sighed.

He looked back to Atem. For the first time since this journey had started, he was the one who had helped Atem. He just wished he could help him more, but deep down, he knew Atem was more than capable of saving this day on his own.

The world spun as the light grew. It was time for the inevitable.

Snap.